Daily Archives: October 1, 2012

STEAMBOAT TEEN ALERTS MOM ABOUT HOUSE FIRE

Authorities are praising a 14-year-old boy for saving his mother and another resident from a house fire in Steamboat. Firefighters were called to the fire at about 7 Saturday morning. Chief Mel Stewart says the boy was awakened by a smoke alarm and found flames in a hallway in the basement apartment. The teen’s mother was asleep in her room, but the fire made it impossible for him to get directly to her. Stewart says the boy went outside, banged on the bedroom window to wake up his mother and then helped her out through the window. The tenant upstairs also was alerted and got out of the house, which suffered moderate damage. Stewart says he gives the boy “a lot of credit.”

RED CROSS HELPS HAYDEN WOMAN FORCED OUT OF HER HOME BY FIRE

The American Red Cross jumped to action when a house fire in Hayden forced a woman out of her home yesterday. The fire was contained for the most part to the home’s furnace room. Firefighters responded at around 6 yesterday evening and were able to extinguish it quickly. However, the woman’s 2 cats were killed in the blaze. The Red Cross provides for essential immediate needs such as housing for the night, food, blankets, comfort kits, clothing and help refilling medications destroyed by house fires. Although fire fighters believe the home’s furnace was the starting point for the blaze, investigators are still trying to determine the exact cause.

NWCOVNA IN CRAIG GETS $55,000 FOR WOMEN’S HEALTH CARE

Eleven community health centers across the state, including the Northwest Colorado Visiting Nurses Associations in Craig, have been awarded grants by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services to improve the quality of care and ensure more women are screened for cervical cancer. The grants will help the centers become patient-centered medical homes and increase their rates of cervical cancer screening. Colorado will receive a total of $577,083 from Health and Human Services through the Quality Improvement in Health Centers program, which is awarding grants to 810 health centers nationwide as they work to make changes such as improved care coordination and management, that are necessary to become patient-centered medical homes. The Craig VNA’s share is $55,000.

WYOMING MAN ARRESTED WHILE SMOKING METH IN SHERIFF’S PARKING LOT

While using drugs under any circumstances is inadvisable, doing so in the parking lot of a law enforcement agency is a particularly bad idea. Sweetwater County Sheriff Rich Haskell says on Wednesday afternoon, a man was spotted smoking methamphetamine in his car parked at the County Office Complex in Rock Springs, which houses both the Sweetwater County Sheriff’s Office and the Circuit Court of Judge Dan Forgey. A court clerk notified deputies, who confronted the man, identified as 28 year old Chadwick Cherny, of Rock Springs. Deputies say they observed Cherny to be under the influence of a central nervous system stimulant. Cherny admitted he had drugs on his person and handed over a small bag of what he said was methamphetamine. He was arrested and charged with possession of a controlled substance. He’s being held at the Sweetwater County Detention Center.

HUNTING AREA CLOSED DUE TO ACTIVE WILDFIRE

Colorado Parks and Wildlife is advising hunters heading to Game Management Unit 23 in the White River National Forest that the southeast portion of the unit will be temporarily closed by the U.S. Forest Service during the upcoming big-game seasons due to concerns about an active wildfire in the area. Although recent rainfall has dampened the fire, forest officials are concerned about the number of weakened trees and snags caused by the heat and flames, as well as concerns that the fire could re-ignite as temperatures rise and rainfall moves out of the area. The closure extends through December 31st, but could end sooner if conditions warrant. Forest officials say the Middle Elk fire was caused by an unattended campfire.

NWCO RESIDENTS HAVE MIXED OPINIONS ON AMENDMENT 64

A slight majority of those who answered the marijuana survey at krai.com are in favor of passing Amendment 64, the measure that would legalize the drug’s use for recreational purposes. Although there were only a handful of respondents, 50% say they are in favor of treating the drug like alcohol, while 42% were against the measure. 21% of those responding said they would like current medical marijuana laws overturned. Amendment 64 would allow Colorado residents to possess up to an ounce of marijuana for recreational purposes. It would also allow residents to grow their own plants. The measure will appear on next month’s ballot. Look for our next survey question later today on the front page.